


I ain't done with you yet

by TheBlackHorizon



Category: A Song of Ice and Fire & Related Fandoms, A Song of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin, Game of Thrones (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, F/M, FIx It, Fluff, Just don't want to give away too much, Messing with the canon, R plus L equals J my arse, Resurrection, Strong Female Characters, Survivors Guilt, Timeline What Timeline, what should have happened after season 3
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-07-26
Updated: 2017-04-24
Packaged: 2018-07-26 22:30:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 14
Words: 18,401
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7592707
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheBlackHorizon/pseuds/TheBlackHorizon
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"I know I love you. I know you love me."</p><p>"You know nothing Jon Snow."</p><p>Ygrittes arrow never missed its mark and thus Jon died but a power beyond his reckoning brings him back and  he sets off to find her.<br/>This is their story through fate, war and love.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

“Carry him inside, gently!” Sam shouted to the brothers as they picked Jon up from the snow covered ground of the courtyard.

Someone went to fetch Maester Aemon while Sam sat down on the edge of the cot

 

“Jon?” he called gently and watched Jons brown orbs dance across his features without focus “it's alright, Maester Aemon is coming.”

 

Instead of an answer Jon coughed weakly and Sam grimaced when he saw the red spots sputtering his lips.

 

Sam carefully cut the bloodied furs from his body and once Maester Aemon had arrived he assisted him with examining and binding his friends wounds while Jon drifted in and out of consciousness. A fine sheen of sweat shone on his forehead and his skin was clammy and Sam worried his lip with his teeth.

 

“Samwell, put your ear on his chest and tell me what you hear.” Maester Aemon instructed whereupon Sam looked at him questioningly but then did as he was told.

 

“It sounds,” he paused to think of the right words “laboured?”

 

Aemon nodded as Sam straightened up “That Samwell, is the sound of a man dying.”

 

He froze “What?”

 

“The arrow must have pierced a lung,” Aemon answered with an air of defeat “there is nothing we can do.”

 

“May I,” Sam felt tears prickling in his eyes but willed them down “may I stay with him?”

 

“You may, Samwell. No man deserves to die alone.”

 

Sam stayed. He gently dabbed a damp cloth on Jons forehead with a little smile although he was not sure his friend could even see him. When the coughing got worse he held Jons body upright and flinched at all the blood he spit in the chamber pot Sam had fetched earlier. Early evening turned into night and Sam had to fight harder and harder against the tears building inside of him.

People should die in piece he thought but there was nothing peaceful in watching his best friend slowly drowning in his own blood. The longer the night dragged on the harsher the coughing became and eventually turned into painful retching. Sam supported Jons shaking body as best as he could but upon seeing the dreadful mixture of blood and bile he couldn't stop a tear escaping the corner of his eye. He went to fetch a fresh cloth and slowly wiped the thick red from Jons chin and lips when heavy eyelids fluttered open

 

“Sam,” Jon wheezed “I'm scared...”

 

“I know,” he tried to sound reassuring but his voice shook “but I'm here. And I won't go anywhere.”

 

Jon Snow died in the blue hour before dawn.

To Sam it almost seemed like a release, the last hours of Jons life had been horrid. Sam had sat by his side and watched as his body struggled and fought for air in a war it could never win.

Grief and exhaustion made him feel numb when he walked across the courtyard to inform Alliser Thorne and have a pyre built. Pyp and Grenns faces turned to stone as they heard it and Sam wasn't able to conceal his tears anymore.

 

“Lady Piggy lost her lover.” Thorne mocked cruelly in passing and Grenn had to hold Sam back from killing him with his bare hands.

 

The Wall was weeping as they lay Jons dead body on the pyre which had been built on the other side of the wall and for once Sam deemed the expression fitting. Pyp came to stand by his side as well as Grenn who was carrying a torch. Slowly he approached the pyre and looked down at his friends still form for one last time

 

“And now his watch has ended.” he mumbled and dropped the torch.

 

Most brothers left once the pyre was fully lit but Pyp, Grenn, Sam and Dolorous Edd stood side by side as the red and orange flames enveloped Jons body. The fire burned bright and with almost unnatural heat but they remained like statues, staring in the flames and each lost in their own thoughts.

Time stretched on and the fire started to die out suddenly but what they saw when the flames came down caught their breath.

 

“Sam,” Pyp was the first to speak “What's going on?”

 

“What are you looking at me for?”

 

His gaze was fixed on the still smoking pyre but neither of them trusted their own eyes when they saw the body.

Grenn took a catious step forward to get a better look but remained still a few feet away from the ashes. The fire had burned away everything, leather, linen, hair, but the body was unscathed, even the wounds from the arrows were merely scars. Together they approached, forming a half circle around the pile of ash but none of them knew what to do next.

 

“Now even the dead can't find peace.” Edd said monotously but Pyp shook his head.

 

“He's breathing.”

 

The four friends exchanged looks but their thoughts were interrupted by Jons eyes bursting open. He sat up abruptly, staring down at his body smeared with ash and then at the four men surrounding him

 

“How...?” Jon tried to get up but his legs wouldn't support his weight and Grenn caught his fall and a second later Pyps cloak was wrapped around his shaking frame.

 

Although neither of them understood what happened their went back to the wall together, Green still supoorting Jons weight as they passed through the tunnel and past the disbeliving stares of the black brothers training in the yard.

Back in his quarters Jon sat on his bed while Grenn went to fetch some clothes and Sam crouched down in front of him

 

“I shouldn't be here, Sam...”

 

“Seems like the gods are not done with you yet.” Pyp said from behind Sam.

 

Soon Grenn returned with some fresh clothes and they all left the room while Jon was getting dressed. He stared at the black garments on the bed but his mind was in pure chaos. Absently he slipped into the pair of trousers and tucked the tunic over his head, the fabric was rough against his skin and the cold air would have made the hair on his arms rise if the fire had left any. The black felt wrong.

 

A second later the door burst open and Alliser Thorne walked straight towards him “What are you?” he spat in digust.

 

Jon stared at him for a long moment “My watch has ended.” he said and without further words he picked up Longclaw from its place by the wall and strode past Thorne and striaght down to the storage room where they kept the old clothes of the recruits. He rummaged through the shelves until he found what he was looking for.

The grey cloak with the brown fur still fit him along with the rest of his old clothes and he fastened his sword around his hip.

 

When he emerged the castle again the whole courtyard seemed to stare at him and his friends stood together in a group, watching him intentely. He approached them when Pyp asked

 

“What are you doing?”

 

“My watch has ended.” he repeated and they looked at him in disbelief “I don't belong here anymore.”

 

“But where will you go?” Grenn interrupted.

 

Jon didn't answer but instead hugged Sam, Pyp, Grenn and Dolorous Edd before stepping back “South. My brother is still fighting a war.”

 

Sam and the others exchanged looks “There's something you should know,” Sam said slowly “A raven arrived a day before you....the Stark army was extinguished and they sacked Winterfell. Your brother was murdered at the Twins, Jon. All the Starks are gone.”

 

Jons features froze and he tightened his hand around the hilt of Longclaw “Still,” he said gravely “There is nothing for me here.”

 

He turned sharply on his heel then and went to stables.

To his surprise Thorne didn't stop him when he saddled a horse and packed a bedroll and a few supplies.

The horse galloped past his former brothers and then he was out in the wild. The cold air stung in his lungs and the wind wipped around him relentlessly equalling the mess in his mind.

Death had found him merely hours ago and at that time he had longed for it, almost welcomed it. Breath no longer laboured and heart beating steadily beneath his rips turning his back to eveything his life had once been. It seemed a precious gift now but what use was it if there was barely anything to live for. Robb, dead and gone along with all the other Starks, Winterfell sacked and lost forever.

_Why him and not me?_

 

There was only one thing left to live for and he decided to push the dark thoughts aside and focus on the task ahead.

 

The trail hadn't been hard to find.

Jon made use of the time while he still had the light and found the Wildlings just before sunset. They had set up camp in the shelter of a vale almost hidden away in between two hills and he had left his horse by a small group of trees and then slowly crept down the slope to get a good view of the camp.

Small tents and bedrolls were scattered around without any order and a few fires were lit. Rough voices shouted commands and he could make out Tormund sitting amongst others by one of the fires. His rough laughter echoed across the camp but he was not the one Jon was waiting to see.

Time passed but he didn't move from his spot, crouched low between a rock and a bush, hidden from view.

The sun was setting fats but it wasn't fully dark when a small group approached the camp, two of them carried a long branch in between them on which a dead deer was hung. Jons breath caught when they stepped into the light of the fires.

Her flaming red her glowed in the orange light and she dropped her bow and arrow next to Tormund who said something Jon couldn't hear. The memory of her standing in front of him with an arrow drawn and tears in her eyes was fresh as her words echoed in his mind

 

_You know nothing, Jon Snow..._

 

By the time it was completely dark his knees ached from staying in the same crouched position for so long and he almost couldn't believe his sheer luck when Tormund called Ygritte to take the first watch.

Slowly he made his way further down the hill until he was almost on the level of the camp. A few stray bushes and trees shielded him from view and the waiting for the right moment started once more. He watched Ygritte cutting the feathers on her arrows in the dim firelight and couldn't help but think of the ones that had pierced him. That had killed him.

She didn't move from her spot by the fire for a while and Jon started to lose patience just about when she put her knife and arrows aside and rose from her spot by the fire. He followed her with his eyes as she made her way through the camp and towards the group of trees to relieve herself.

Jon waited until she was done to make his move, but once Ygritte had tucked her furs securely around herself again he closed the distance between them and clasped his hand over her mouth from behind.

She instantly struggled but having caught her by suprise gave him a distinct advantage. His grasp on her was firm and although Ygritte was strong and fierce in her attempts to free herself she wasn't strong enough. With a swift move he bound her wrists one-handed, the other one still firm over her mouth and without warning dragged her with him.

Ygritte kicked and bit the inside of his hand but he kept his hold on her firm until they passed the top of the hill where Jons horse was waiting for them and they were safely out of earshot.

Jon still held the rope binding her wrists but let his other hand drop to his side. Ygritte was caught by suprise again and said nothing for a moment, just stared at the black sillhouette of the man standing before her.

 

“Who are you?” she spat “Wha'ya want?”

 

“I stole you.” he answered in a low voice and took a slow step towards her. She still stared at him in diebelief but then tore at the rope in an attempt to free herself again but Jon wouldn't let go like he had the last time “Again.”

 

Ygritte froze “No...”

He took another step towards her, they were so close now that their bodys were almost touching and she raised her gaze to look at him. It was almost a full moon and the pale light along with the closeness of his face left no doubt “I put three arrows in you...” her voice was quivering.

 

“Aye.”

 

“How are you here? You should be...” she stopped abruptly and Jon could see fear in her eyes.

 

“Dead.” he stated and locked eyes with her “I was, but now I'm not. And I don't know why.”

 

“You know nothing,” she said and her shoulders relaxed visibly “But why are you here then?”

 

“Because I do know one thing,” he answered softly “I love you, no matter if you shoot me full of arrows.”

 

Ygritte was dumbfounded for a moment before she leaned in and their lips met and she tried to wrap her hand around his neck but was reminded by the rope binding her wrist that she couldn't.

 

“Did you have to bind me hands?” she asked after they'd broken apart “Rope's bloody scratchy.”

 

“Didn't know if you would run.” he answered with a smirk.

 

“Last time you ran from me!” Ygritte shot back but then fell silent dropped her head “I...I'm sorry.” she stammered “I don't know why I...I never wanted to hurt you, I mean I did but....you could be dead now.....”

 

Jon loosened the rope to let it slide from her wrists and then gently lifted her head “I was.” he took her hands in his and they sat down on the damp grass by a tree “My brothers burned my body but,” he paused “but I'm here again.”

 

“Some of you burned,” Ygritte brushed her fingers over the short black stubble on his head and then dropped her hand on his shoulder just about where her arrow had hit home “I thought I would never see you again.” she added under her breath.

 

He put his forehead against hers and gently brushed back a stray of her wild red hair “I will never leave you again.”

 

Their lips found each other in the darkness of the night and Jon pushed her back against the tree, his hands quick to find the buckles of her furs and undoing them. Her bare skind was warm under his palms and he deepended the kiss while he undid the clasp holding his cloak. Soon nothing separated them but skin against skin and Jon hovered over her and she looked back at him with love in her eyes. When he slipped inside her the pure feeling of life was almost overwhelming, death still seemed to cling to him like a dark shadow but he had never felt more alive than with Ygritte.

They lay together on the pile of furs afterwards with their bodies still joint and Jons arms firmly wrapped around her shoulders.

 

“Oh Jon Snow I've taught ya well.” she sighed against his neck.

 

“Aye.” he chuckled and kissed the crown of her head.

 

Ygritte shifted to look into his eyes “What about your crow oath?”

 

“My watch has ended. I'm free,” Jon kissed her again “we are.”

 

“So you ain't no crow anymore?” she asked with a flash in her eye “where you gonna go now?”

 

“Where are we gonna go?”

 

Ygritte wound her leg around his hip and her hand found his “I'm yours, as you're mine.” she whispered “And where you go I'll go.”

 

“As far south as south goes.” he whispered against her lips “To place with no ice, where the sun is warm and we can see the sea.”

 

“I've never seen the sea, Jon Snow.” she answered dreamily.

 

“We'll go there,” Jon smiled “and I will find you a silk dress.”

 

She playfully shoved his shoulder and laughed “You'd like that, wouldn't ya?”

 

They spent the rest of the night huddled close together but as soon as the first rays of sunlight peeked over the horizon they packed up and Jon pulled Ygritte in the saddle in front of him. The morning stretched on and the bleak northern landscape alternated between rolling hills covered in dark, damp green grass and coniferus woodland.

When the sun reached its highest point they stoppped to grant the horse some rest and have some food but Jon was restless so they soon moved on.

 

“D'you know the way?” Ygritte asked at sunset while Jon built a small campfire.

 

“The way to where?”

 

“To where we're going!” she exclaimed and dropped next to him on the mossy ground.

 

“Don't know where to go yet.”

 

“Why would ya not know where to go?” she asked and poked him in the side “That's stupid. Do you even know where we are?”

 

Jons head turned abruptly and their eyes met “Where do you think we should go?”

 

“Don't know,” she shrugged and grinned lopsided “to that fancy castle o'yours.”

 

His gaze hardened “My brother marched to war for my sisters and now they're all dead. There's nowhere left to go.” he turned his attention back to the fire and Ygritte sat next to him in silence for a few moments before she put a gentle hand on his shoulder.

 

“I didn't know.” she said softly and Jon turned to face her “Otherwise I would've kept me mouth shut.”

 

“You didn't know.” he dismissed it and clicked the firestones against each other.

 

“Didn't you see him?” she asked when the first dry sticks started to smoke and pop from the heat.

 

“Who?”

 

“Your brother. When you die you all see them again.” she said matter of factly and scooted a little closer to him.

 

Jon stared into the fire and she could see the muscles in his jaw working “No.” his voice was coarse.

A numbing coldness seemed to spread throughout his body although the warmth of the fire licked at his fingertips.

 

“What did you see then?” Ygritte enquired with a slight waver in her voice “There must've been something.”

 

She looked at him with eyes wide eyes and her lips set in a tight line and cJon contemplated his answer for a moment.

Cold, darkness, solitude. Your body dissipating, your spirit like ashy smoke, whirled around by still winds. Voices screeching from invisible mouths, hissing trough non-existend teeth.

Fear.

Release.

“Nothing.” he answered finally.

 

She cocked her head and drew her eyebrows together “Don't lie.” Jon shifted and Ygritte could tell from the drawn look on his face that there was more than he'd told her “I am your woman Jon Snow, and you can tell me everything.”

 

“There was nothing. It was neither dark nor light, neither noise nor silence, no colours no shape...I can't explain it,” his hand brushed over her cheekbone “and I don't want to. I'm here with you.”

 

The kiss was fierce and Jon felt her hold onto him a little tighter.

 

“Is it bad?” she whispered against his lips “Dying?”

 

He couldn't help but bury his face in her neck and inhale her sweet scent and feel her warmth grounding him “It's like surrender.”

 

Ygritte carressed his hair “I'm yours and I'll stay with you no matter what, if you like it or not.” she felt his lips shift into a smile against her skin “And we'll live.”

 

“Yes. We'll live.”

 


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was meant to be a OneShot but I just decided to continue it so I've got no idea where this is heading ;)  
> Enjoy:)

 

They spent the days riding, slow because the horse had to carry the weight of two but steadily making their way south. The supplies Jon had brought from Castle Black weren't going to last forever so every day before setting up camp they went to hunt and Ygrittes arrows never missed its target, even if it was just a squirrel or something even smaller.

 

“Were are all the huge towers you told me of?” she asked one evening by the campfire.

 

“We're better off avoiding them.” Jon answered darkly and continued skinning the rabbit she had shot earlier. If he wasn't mistaken they should now be south of the Dreadfort, he had made sure to go east the first couple of days but then keep the forest to their left. Always passing along the border of the wood, hidden behind the first few rows of trees as not to attrackt any attention. By means of what Sam had told him these lands weren't safe, the Boltons and Karstarks had once been loyal to house Stark but now that Winterfell was lost Jon could only speculate to whom these houses now pledged their swords.

After they had left the woods behind then they turned slightly to the west again to avoid the coast. The Boltons worried him, he could not know wether they controlled the coast lines close by their fort and he did not want to take the risk of getting into trouble with them. After all, how were they supposed to explain themselves and their business? The day they crossed the river which ran past the Dreadfort they hastily continued their journey but once it lay safely behind them and no man could be seen in the vast emptiness around them Jon halted the horse.

 

“What is it?” Ygritte asked in a worried but fraught tone, expecting he had spotted something in the distance. Jon did not answer but looked to the West.

 

“Behind these hills and futher west lies Winterfell.” he finally spoke with a hollow voice “and ahead of us lies a decision. We can either go to Widow's Watch in east or to White Harbour in the west.”

 

Ygritte turned in the saddle to look at him “These are your lands, Snow. Whichever decision you make I'll go with it.”

 

Jon nodded and urged the horse forward, leaving the thoughts about Winterfell behind and focussing on the path ahead.

The lands around them were harsh and empty, the North rarely offered much colour but this seemed to be the bleakest part. Endless fields of dark green grass lay before them, rolling up and down in soft slopes but there were to villages, not even small farms. Finding a suitable spot to set up camp wasn't easy so they tried to stick to small groups of trees or vales hidden between the hills. Animals were hard to find so they ate what little they had left and curled up close by each other to keep warm since a fire could attract far too much attention.

 

“Tell me about Winterfell.” Ygritte whispered and turned so she was face to face with Jon.

 

“Remember the windmill?” she nodded and he carried on “imagine towers three times its size with stones as warm as your hand. Hot water is flowing through the stones and keeping it warm throughout the winter. You can go and swim in the pools in the godswood because they are warm as well.”

 

“Like in the cave.” she added with a smile and moved a little closer.

 

“Yes.” Jon smiled back at her and gently brushed a strand of hair from her forehead “Big feasts were held in the great hall, there was space for hundreds of people, one was being held when the kind visited Winterfell. Every day my brother and I sparred in the training yard and the maester taught us how to read and write and everything we had to know about Westeros.” he trailed off at the memory of the seemingly endless lessons with Maester Luwin, reciting names of houses and their words, which city lay were was or the names of rivers. It all seemed a lifetime away now, just like what Tyrion Lannister had said on the journey to the Wall '...defending the world against Snarks and Grumpkins...'. What litte he knew. The journey to the Wall then stirred up the picture of Robb standing in the courtyard of Winterfell, bidding him good-bye with snowflakes melting in his hair. 'Next time I see you, you'll be all in black.' What little he had known.

 

“You miss it?”

 

“I miss my brothers and sisters.” he answered and wound his arm a little tighter around her petite frame.

 

“So where are we going tomorrow?” Ygrittes change of subject came most welcome.

 

“We need to get on a ship. Making our way down south by foot is close to impossible, war is upon Westeros and I don't know which parts are safe and which aren't. Besides, the further south we go the chance of getting held by scouts of some lord becomes bigger and what should we tell them if they ask us what we are doing in these lands?”

 

“Tell them.” she answered matter of factly.

 

“They will grow suspicious, whatever we say. Apart from that bands of thieves and cut-throats will be roaming what the war left of the lands. We can sell the horse to pay for the ship.”

 

“A ship to where?” Ygritte pressed on.

 

“Dorne.” Jon answered after a long pause “As far south as south goes. I don't think they would engage in a war in the north and it takes long before winter reaches these lands. But it's a long way from here and we have to find a ship which makes the journey in one. Widows Watch is further east but rather small, I reckon the chances are bigger in White Harbour and even if everything goes wrong we can still hope the Manderlys are still the kind rulers they once were.”

 

“I don't get all the stuff with the lords and the houses but I hope you're right Jon Snow. I really do.”

 

They fell asleep curled around each other underneath their pile of furs as they had many nights before but when the moon was high in the sky Ygritte was woken up by cold air hitting her skin.

Suddenly wide awake and alert in case of sudden danger she bolted into a sitting position only to find Jon sitting next to her, shaking like a dry leaf in the wind and fine sheen of sweat shining on his forehead.

 

“Jon?”

 

Upon hearing her voice his head whipped towards her and his eyes became wide. As if instinct he scrambled back a little and stared at her in the pale moonlight.

A wolf howled in the distance.

 

“This isn't real.” his voice was barely above a whisper.

 

“It's alright” she reached out slowly and lay her hand one hand on his cheek while the other too his hand and put it in her chest right above her heart “Feel it. This is real.”

 

Jon closed his eyes and took a calming breath before looking back at her through clouded eyes.

 

“It's death, isn't it?”

 

“Sam said...he told me that Robb was murdered at the Twins,” he said with urgency and looked at her as if he hadn't heard her asking “what if...what if they burned his body as well and...”

 

“We are alive, Jon. Don't dwell on those who aren't”

 

 


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Where did that come from? I don't even know :D

They continued their journey westwards the next day. Making sure to leave the three rivers to their left and keeping an eye on the sun they soon came past a couple of farms and small houses.

 

“White Habour can't be too far now.” Jon said as they left another village behind them.

 

“How do you know that?” Ygritte questioned him as she always did.

 

“The closer a city or a castle is the more people live in villages and small towns around it because it provides shelter.” he answered patiently “The people work for their liege and in return they can seek refuge in the castle from war or other threats.”

 

She inhaled as if to say something a couple of times but remained quiet and Jon could see a small pout form on her face “Makes sense, doesn't it?” he asked without concealing the amusement in his voice.

 

“Fine, it does.” Ygritte admitted “not everything you southeners do is stupid.”

 

Jon chuckled and just when she was about to carry on they reached the top of the hill they'd been climbing and her breath caught in her throat.

A plain stretched out before them, vast and green with many villages and homesteads which looked like little brown dots in the distance. To their right the White Knife cut through the green like a band of silk which glistened like ice in the clear daylight. Mills and fishermens houses gathered along its banks and far in the south a broad bridge crossed it. Not far from the bridge lay White Harbour, the city formed half a circle along the coastline with the castle standing out like wolf amongst dogs. Even from afar one could see how busy the city was, especially the harbour. Many ships lay in tow by the docks which lined the bay, the white sails shone bright in contrast to the greyish blue of the sea.

 

“The sea.” Ygritte breathed and Jon leaned his chin on her shoulder.

 

“It's only a bay, actually. They call it the Bite, because it looks like someone had just bitten off a piece of Westerors.” he explained and oustretched his arm “See those little islands in the distance? They're called the three sisters. And the city down there, that's White Harbour.”

 

“One of these ships could take us away.” she said dreamily and pointed towards the bay.

 

“Aye, if we can afford it.”

 

They continued their journey then and slowly descended the hill. The sun reached its highest point when they left the last bit of the hill behind them and soon they rode through one of the villages they had seen earlier. None of the people following their days work took notice of them which Jon was more than grateful for. Longclaw was hidden safely underneath his cloke and he had no desire to make use of it anytime soon.

 

“We have to sell the horse.” Jon murmured in her ear as the city gates came into view.

 

“Already? I thought we need the money for the ship?” she inquired.

 

“I'm afraid we might have have to stay in the city for a while.” he answered and Ygritte turned in the saddle sharply.

 

“Why?”

 

“I've been thinking, the ship is going to cost way more than we'll get for the horse. Who knows when the next ship is leaving for the south anyway and we'll have to live off something while we wait. We can find a room at an inn and stay there until we know more.” Jon explained not without a hint of tiredness “Besides, I could use some proper food and a bed after all this.”

 

Although she had a thousand questions on her tongue Ygritte decided not to ask for now but agree . Luckily they found a coper not too far from the city walls and she gathered the few belongings they had and stayed behind just far enough to hear what was being said. While Jon was busy with selling their horse she looked around and took in so many unfamiliar sights at once that she barely knew where to look first.

The city walls and watchtowers of White Harbour were by far the hightest buildings she had ever seen in her life, she could hardly imagine how they could even be man-made. Huge banners showing a man with a green fishtail and a trident in its hand on turquoise ground hung from every tower and she wondered who made up such a stupid picture. It looked like from a childs imgination to her and why it hung from the tower was an even bigger mistery to her.

A breeze carried a salty whiff from the sea and seagulls screeched above her. At this moment she could hardly believe she was still in the same country, the Wall had kept her from seeing so many things she realised and in this world she was lost without Jon, just as he had been in her lands.

Just then he came walking towards her and she called out to him “And?”

 

He didn't answer but held up a small leather bag “This should give us a roof over our heads for a week or two.”

 

They made their way towards the city gates on foot and passed them just when the sun was about to set.

The streets weren't exeptionally busy but Ygritte felt almost dizzy by the countless houses lining the streets and all the people bustling between them. Not far behind the gate Jon came to a halt in front of a big house with a sign with goldern letters on it.

 

“It's an inn,” he said after realising that she wasn't able to read the sign “Let's go and ask for a room, shall we?”

 

She nodded, still too impressed by everything around her and followed him inside.

The bottom floor was a big room with many tables and benches, a small group of people gathered around the fireplace on the far side of the room, each a mug of ale in front of them but they hardly took notice of the newcomers. It smelled of smoke and old wood and Ygritte stayed close by Jons side as they approached the massive wooden counter. An old man sat behind it and looked up at them from under bushy grey eybrows “Looking for a room, lad?”

 

“Aye,” Jon answered “For the week.”

 

The man mustered them again before leaning towards the door behind him “Thorren! Thorren! Seven hells were is the blighter,” he muttered under his breath before returning his attention to the couple “He'll show you the room, if he decides to show up, that is.”

 

Jon nodded stiffly and payed the price he was told just when a young boy came rushing into the room “You called uncle?”

 

“Show them the room under the roof will you,” the old man said in a gruff tone and nodded towards Jon and Ygritte “and be faster next time!”

 

They followed the boy up two flights of stairs and down a narrow hallway. He then let the in them room and once he had left Jon closed the door behind him.

Ygritte sat down on the bed almost carefully and then looked at him “I feel like I missed out on a lot.”

 

He chuckled “They have food down in the hall. Hungry?”

 

She grinned sheepishly and they made their way down the stairs again and sat down at a table tucked into the corner. The boy who had led them to their room earlier brought dark bread, cheese and some salt meat along with a mug of ale for each of them.

After everything that had happened this moment felt like heaven to Jon, a crackling fire in a hearth, good food and Ygritte mustering the bread as if it was the strangest thing she'd ever seen. More people trickeled in for a mug of ale after finishing their days work but no one took notice of them which Jon was once again more than grateful for.

After finishing their food Ygritte smiled at him across the table, her hair shone even brighter in the red light of the fire and her features were soft from the ale. He could hardly imagine a more beautiful sight.

 

“Why don't we go upstairs?” she breathed and caressed the back of his hand with tip of her finger. She giggled as Jon wordlessly rose from the chair and offered her his hand.

Before they even made it to the second floor he had pinned her up against a wall in hallway kissing her passionately.

 

“But that ain't very proper.” she snickered breathlessly.

 

“I'm not in the mood for proper.”

 

He took her hand and they stumbled up the second flight of stairs and before she even knew it she was on the bed and Jon bolted the door.

They were quick to shed furs and leathers and he made sure to make Ygrittes first night in an actual bed more than memorable.

For the first time in a very long time he fell asleep feeling at ease, Ygritte lay in his arms and they could just relax without having to worry about possible threats during the night. What they had now was pure freedom, a life without wars to fight and orders to take.

_Build yourself a cabin and find a woman to lie with in the night._

Ygrittes words came back to his mind and he found that she had never spoken wiser words.

 


	4. Chapter 4

The morning dawned bright and cool and Ygritte stirred awake slowly. She blinked a couple of times and turned her head to find Jon still fast asleep next to her. Although awake she still felt as if in a strange dream, the soft matress beneath , actual walls around and her beloved next to her seemed almost too good to be real. Her eyes wandered over Jons sleeping face and her mind drifted back to the day she had found him by the pond and shot him. Hurt and rejection had led her actions that day because of all the havoc which had broken loose by that farm but when she lay beneath her furs that night she hadn't been able to conceal her tears. After all she had been sure that Jon was dead and there was nothing she regretted more in her entire life.

Crow or not, she had loved him more than herself and over the time they had spent together she understood that not everyone was as free as she was.

Indeed, Ygritte had killed him but whichever force had brought him back to life was a mistery to both of them. Beyond the wall she had seen things she didn't understand but never had she heard of a man coming back to life after being burned, not even a Wight would. This mistery was yet to be solved although she was not sure they ever would.

Slowly she pushed the covers aside and slid out of the bed. It was a most welcome change that she didn't have to bundle up in layers of fur and wool immediatly after getting up. Only dressed in her thin tunic she went to the window and pushed the curtains aside.

The view she had on the city from the highest floor of the inn was stunning. White Harbour sprawled in front of her, more houses than she could count gathered along the streets and behind that the seas glistened in the clear light of the morning. Nothing she had ever seen could compare to this.

 

“Enoying the view?”

 

Ygritte whirled around to see Jon looking at her with his head propped up on his hand “Aye, it's beautiful.”

 

“Come here.” he spoke softly and outstretched his hand.

 

She smiled and went back towards him only to be pulled down onto the bed once she came into reach. Jon held her close and kissed her with such passion that her head swam with emotion.

 

“Sleep well?”

 

Ygritte only hummed in response and nuzzled his nose with hers “So what's on today?”

 

“I need to find work, they always need a seelsword here and there so it shouldn't be too hard and perhaps you could be a maid but I don't think...”

 

“No.” she interrupted him firmly.

 

“No what?”

 

“Don't be a sellsword. I...” she broke off and lay her hand on the side of his neck “I don't want you to get hurt.” she finally admitted.

 

Wonder crossed Jons features and he took her hand in his “I'll find something else then.”

 

They got dressed then and after a quick breakfast they went down to the harbour.

The piers were crowded with fishermen and sailors but most of the boats seemed to be barges which came down the White Knife or from the Three Sisters. Only a few ships were built for travelling further distances on the ocean but when Jon asked where they were going they either did not answer or give the wrong answer.

 

“We'll have to stay then.” Jon told her as they made their way back to the inn.

 

“I don't mind to be honest.” Ygritte retorted and smiled at him “There are worse places to be.”

 

“Indeed.” he smiled back at her but something behind her caught his eye and he halted abruptly “Hold on.”

 

“What is it?” she followed him to a large post in the middle of the square they had been crossing.

 

Jon did not answer but looked at a piece of parchment which was pinned onto it before tearing it down “It says on here that they are looking for people to help training the new recruits for the city watch. What am I better with than the sword?”

 

“Your tongue.” she deadpanned with a wink.

 

He shushed her and she threw her head back with laughter before Jon carried on “Let's go.”

 

“What about me? I can work as well!” Ygritte chipped in after a while.

 

“Aye, but not in a training yard.”

 

“Why?”

Jon took a breath “Because you're a woman. They would never listen to you.”

 

“I have commanded many men before!” she answered boldly but his look silenced her.

 

“Not on this side of the wall.” he said with a finality which told Ygritte to not further press the matter.

 

The castle rose before them and they passed through the gate and into the inner yard. A guard with the sigil of house Manderly stitched onto his cloak approached them

 

“What is you business here?” he askes roughly.

 

“I'm here for this.” Jon asnwered curtly and held out the parchment.

 

The man took it and mustered him from head to toe “What's your name?”

 

“Jon Snow.”

 

He huffed out a laugh then “You've come to the right man then, bastard. I'm Ser Oliver Snow, Master at Arms.” he extended his hand and Jon took it. Snows grip was firm and after he had let go his eyes landed on Ygritte “You always bring along a girl?”

 

Ygrittes gaze pierced him and Jon lay a calming hand on the small of her back “My wife, Ser.”

 

“Both looking for work, aye?” Snow asked not unkindly.

 

“Yes, ser.”

 

He nodded before speaking again “Come tomorrow at noon and we'll see what you're worth. And bring you're wife if you want, perhaps we've got a place for her in the kitchens.”

 

“That's very kind, ser.” Jon said and bowed slightly but he waved it off.

 

“Spare me the niceties and speak with your sword.”

 

Only after they had left the castle behind them Ygritte came to a halt and faced Jon “Your wife?” she asked in a sharp tone.

 

“What was I supposed to say?” Jon shot back, he had expected this question “My Wildling lover? I'm sure that would have raised any attention whatsoever.”

 

She rocked back on her heels “What would make me your wife?”

 

“What do you mean?”

 

“Well if I'm not your wife now there must be something that makes me your wife.”

 

His mouth went dry “There is. It's a wedding.”

“What's that?” she asked but instead of answering Jon just grinned sheepishly at her.

 

He asked a man on the street where the Goodswood was and as they walked back towards the castle Ygritte found herself rather excited at the prospect of seeing it.

It was located in a corner between the city walls and the castle, tucked away from the noise and bustle of the street. As they entered it Ygritte let her eyes take in the sight of many different trees with leafs of all different colours forming half a cirlce around a Weirwood. Although she did not keep any goods she felt they peace of the place surrounding her.

Jon took her hand and together they approached the Heart tree and when they stood before it Ygritte felt watched over, although she could not explain why.

 

“A wedding makes two people husband and wife with the gods as their witness.” he turned towards her so that they stood face to face “Father, Smith, Warrior, Mother, Maiden, Crone, Stranger. I am hers, and she is mine, from this day until the end of my days. These are the vows they take in the south.“

 

“Are there no vows for your gods?” she asked and looked into his eyes.

 

“There are,” he answered softly “But they require the family.”

 

Ygritte did not miss the shadow falling over his face and she squeezed his hand “Whichever gods shall witness our vows I don't care, as long as I can become your southern girl.” she drawled and kissed him in front of the Heart Tree.

 

 


	5. Chapter 5

“Alright then,” Ygritte began and flopped down on the bed back at the inn “what am I to do tomorrow when we meet the fancy lord?”

 

“I don't think we'll even see the lord but I reckon I won't hurt if you know nonetheless.” Jon scratched the back of his head and grinned “So first of all, when you stand before a lord or a lady you courtsy.”

 

“Whats courtsy?”the word rolled off her tongue like a foreign expression and she drew her brows together.

 

“Well you know, you just.” he shrugged and half-courtsied in front of her which made her throw her head back in laughter.

 

“That's ridiculous!” she exclaimed while Jon blushed slightly. She got up then and kissed him with a mockingly shy upward glance “Don't worry mylord, I shall courtsy for you.”

 

He chuckled at her gesture and pulled her closer by the hip to kiss her again “I know you find all these rules hugely entertaining but once you stand before a real lord you'll have to do as it is expected from you. You'll have to courtsy and say yes mylord and no mylord.”

 

“Three bags wool, mylord?” she grinned and arched her eyebrow.

 

“Yes,” he chuckled again but then became serious again “But there are some things we have to take care of first.” They sat down on the bed next to each other “If anyone askes, your name is Snow.”

 

“Because we're married.” she added.

 

“Exactly. Probably at some point someone will ask where we're from...”

 

“Queenscrown. It's the only place I know without having to think about the name.” Ygritte explained and he nodded.

 

“Alright. It's good, actually. Our accents are far too northern for White Harbour so no one should question it.”

 

“What if someone knows you?”

 

“Who would know me?” Jon answered with a question “I don't look like I used to.”

 

“True, but don't the southeners know the Crows guarding their wall?”

 

He snorted “No one cares about the Watch. The Lord Commmander has been sending ravens with pleas for more men to all great houses and all the sent us were rapers and thieves.”

 

“Why did you join them then?” the question had been burning on her tongue for a long time.

 

“I thought I didn't have a choice.” Jon shrugged then shook his head “But I did, and I made the wrong decision. I should have stayed and gone south with my brother, things would be different now if I had.”

 

“You can't know that!” Ygritte exclaimed and moved so she sat on his lap “Don't doubt yourself.” her hand came to rest on the side of his neck “Only weak men doubt.”

 

It was a cold, moonless night and she slept nestled close to him but Jon barely found sleep. Perhaps she was right and he was a weak man, but doubt had settled deep into his guts. Not only in himself but the world, how could the gods allow Robb, the young lord of Winterfell to die and spare him, the baseborn conceived of lust and unfaithfulness? He opened and closed his sword hand.

The fire had made the arrow wounds become mere white spots but his right hand was still as scarred as it had been before. Fire had harmed him before, why not after his death?

Jon fell into a fitful sleep many hours after Ygritte had and him had curled up under the blanket but at sunrise he was wide awake again. Careful not to wake her up he got up and quietly dressed for the day. He snuck out of the room and made his way down the stairs, the inn was completely quiet and the creaking of the stairs seemed far too loud.

The streets were equally emtpy, only a few grocers and fishermen made their way towards the marketplace and he strolled past them towards the harbour. Seagulls screeched above him as he came to a halt by a pier and let his gaze drift across the bay. The crisp morning air carried the promise of a chilli autumn day and he took a deep breath. From here the world looked quiet and peaceful, almost as if there were no wars to fight and bodies to bury. Jon was weary of fighting, his heart yearned for a life with Ygritte, and no one else, but he could feel there was something else. He did not know what it was, but something felt off.

As then sun climbed higher he turned his back towards the sea and was on his way back to the inn when a display outside a shop caught his eye. It was a dress, plainly made but of dark green linen with a matching brown cloak. Without so much as a second thought he went inside the shop and after the dressmaker had put it in a bag he grinned like a fool at the thought of Ygrittes face.

 

“Where have ya been?” she asked as he entered their room “I got more than one weird glare downstairs because I ate alone. What's wrong with them? Have they never seen a woman eating before?” she rambled but stopped abruptly when her gaze fell on the bag “What's in there?”

 

Jon only grinned and put it down on the bed next to her. She arched and eyebrow but then opened the laces to peer inside “No,” she drawled with a smile spreading on her face “Is that what I think it is?”

 

“It's no silk.” he smirked and she took it from the bag to properly look at it “Do you like it?”

 

“I like it some.” Ygritte admitted and mustered the garment once again before she put it on the bed and slowly unlaced her tunic “Let's see if it fits, shall we?” she batted her lashes and Jon had to keep himself from tearing the tunic off of her right and there. Instead he waited for her to shed her tunic and trousers and then step into the skirt. Slowly she pulled it up her waist and over her shoulders and Jon came to stand behind her. Gently he brushed his hand up and down her exposed back before he laced the dress and she turned around.

Her flaming hair fell down her shoulders in soft waves and the dark green of the dress beautifully brought out her eyes.

 

“And?” Ygritte asked, although a little unsure.

 

“I'll have to guard you from every man day and night, for you are the most beautiful lady in all seven kingdoms.”

 

Never before had someone spoken such sweet words to her and although she had a snide remark at the ready she decided to keep it behind her teeth “Am I ready for the fancy castle then?”

 

Jon took the cloak from the bag and draped it over her shoulders “More than that.”

 

 

 


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoy the product of my hangover :D  
> Happy new Year everyone!

“Alright then Snow,” Ser Oliver shouted and tossed Jon a training sword “let's see what you're worth.”

 

The courtyard grew uncharacteristically quiet and a small group of recruits, servants and even a few guards gathered where Ygritte had been standing on her own by one of the training dummies.

She wrapped the her cloak a little tighter around herself and so much against her nature she felt intimidated by the group of men around her. Once again she noticed, this was not her world.

 

“Martyn is our most promising recruit,” Ser Oliver introduced the lad standing next to him and handed him a training sword as well “You'll have to be a match in skill otherwise the younger ones won't learn anything. Best out of three wins.”

 

Ser Oliver then stepped back and Ygritte watched Martyn and Jon first mustering and then slowly cirlcling each other. Martyn was a good few inches taller than Jon but from her own experience she knew what little that mattered. A slight murmur went through the crowd around her when Jon easily blocked the first attack and landed a couple of well placed blows but in the end Martyns advantage in height payed off and he hit Jons shoulder from above which sent the latter to his knees with a barely concealed grunt.

Ser Oliver nodded approvingly towards his winner and a few men from the crowd shouted rough cheers while Ygritte felt herself become more and more uneasy. Meanwhile Jon had gotten back up and him and Martyn nodded at each other before they begun again.

Things then unfolded quicker then she could follow, before Martyn could have braced himself for an attack Jon had already begun to drive him into a corner with quick attacks and even quicker dodges. Only a few times Ygritte had seen him fight, most of them had been in knee deep snow or pouring rain and even then Jons skill with the sword had impressed her but what she witnessed now could compare to nothing she had seen before. An almost perfect combination of strenght, speed and grace made Martyns style seem almost primitive.It seemed as if the first round had merely served as a test to find the others weaknesses and as Martyn had relied on his height and strength he had not watched out closely enough.

Before anyone knew it Martyn had to yield the second time and the courtyard fell silent.

Jon offered the other man his hand and he took it grudgingly to get up from the ground. Ser Oliver nodded “Well, well, who would have thought that?”

 

The crowd snickered and some shook their heads at Martyn but Ser Oliver shut them up “Don't you lot have work waiting for you? So shove off!”

 

Muttering and murmuring they left the courtyard only Ygritte remained, emerging from the crowd like a tall statue and she smiled and nodded approvingly at Jon.

 

“Well fought, Martyn.” Ser Oliver said once the two stood before him “but what can I say, Snow was better. You're dismissed.”

 

Martyn briefly bowed his head but before leaving he turned towards Jon again “Well fought.”

 

“You too.”

 

After Martyn had taken his leave Ygritte approached them and stood next to Jon.

 

“Good fighter, your husband.” Ser Oliver remarked and the couple shared a quick smile before the knight carried on “Your style is quite unusual, Snow, unlike anything I've seen before. We need men like you.”

 

“Thank you, ser.” Jon bowed briefly and they shook hands.

 

“This war cost us too many good men already, we barely have enough to guard our own bloody walls.” he shook his head disapprovingly “I'll have someone show you your quarters if you want bring your things. If not report here tomorrow morning at the first bell.”

 

“The sooner we can leave the inn we're currently staying at the better.” Jon answered.

 

“Where are you staying?”

 

“The Golden Trident, by the city gate.”

 

Ser Oliver laughed roughly “Indeed, old Miller is no man one wants to spend a lot of time with.”

 

He called a stable boy to show them their quarters and then excused himself.

 

“Our quarters?” Ygritte leaned closer to him to keep her voice low.

 

“Yes, servants have quarters in or around the castle.” her brow furrowed considerably at the word servant “That's what we are for now, wether we like it or not.”

 

The stable boy led them across the courtyard and through a smaller gate at the eastern corner of the courtyard. They passed along the stables and the smithy before they turned to the left to round the smithy. A couple of yards behind it stood two thatched wooden houses, low and simple in built with firewood stored under a small roof next to the door.

 

“It's the one on the left.” the boy told them “It's not locked because no one is living in it. The Lord will give you your key tomorrow.”

 

“Thank you.” Ygritte smiled at the boy and after he had returned the smile he left them.

 

“After you.” Jon said when they reached the door and she grinned sheepishly at him before opening it.

There wasn't much inside, on the left by the wall was a bed and a wardrobe next to it. A small table stood in the centre of the room with two chairs which stood by the hearth. Ygritte brushed her fingertips over the wooden table “This all ours?”

 

“It is.” Jon hugged her from behind and nuzzled her neck “Our own castle.”

 

“You know nothing.”

 

They spent the rest of the afternoonat the inn, pakcing up their few belongings and afterwards buying some supplies for the house. Until they had stored everything away and the first fire crackled in their hearth the sun had long set.

After supper Ygritte leaned against the table and looked into the flames “How long do you think we'll have to stay here?”

“Until the next ship leaves for Dorne.” Jon answered and scratched his beard “Are you worried about something?”

 

She turned to face him “Only that you get too comfortable here,” she said with a grin “You were pretty good against the Lords one earlier.”

 

“Thank you mylady.” Jon smiled back at her and pressed a chaste kiss on her lips.

 

“Speaking of,” she began and tapped his shoulder were Martyn had landed a harsh blow “Let me see. Get on!” she added when he didn't move.

 

“Alright.”

 

The outlines of what would be a nice bruise come morning were already showing and she carefully felt the area for signs of sprained bones.

 

“You'll live.” she murmured into his ear from behind and kissed his shoulder.

 

The next day was full of bustling activity and Ser Oliver kept him more than busy with the recruits. Around midday Lord Manderlys himself came down to the courtyard to give Jon the key to the cottage.

 

“That's most kind mylord.” Jon thanked him politely but the Lord waved it off.

 

“I did not only come here for the key, I wanted to see with my own eyes what Ser Oliver described me so vividly."

 

Days came and went, bled into weeks evantually, Jon and Ygritte rose with the sun and while he was busy in the training yard Ygritte helped in the kitchens as best as she could.

For both of them this sense of a normal life felt strange at first especially for Ygritte but day by day they got a little more used to it. As often as they could they went down to the harbour but the question for a ship to Dorne was always answered with a no.

Still, Jon often woke up in the middle of the night with the feeling he simply could not shake off that something was not right. Ygritte grew used to it but she worried nonetheless.

 

Little did they know that everything was about to change.

 

 


	7. Chapter 7

“Snow!”

 

Jon put down the training swords he had just carried back into the armory and turned towards the gruff voice. It belonged to Maron, a haggard lad with a flat forehead and a prominent chin who was one of the Lords servants “Yes?”

 

“Young Lord Manderly requests you in his solar. Now.” came the gruff reply.

 

His answer was calm but Jons mind was racing. He followed Maron into the castle and up to the young Lords chambers where the servant left him. Hesitantly he knocked on the door.

 

“Enter!”

 

Wylis Manderly rose from his seat by the window when Jon entered the room. He was tall and of broad built but still slender, much unlike his father. The colours of House Manderly dominated his robes which were suitable for a Lord but not overly extravagant.

 

“Jon Snow I suppose?” he asked kindly

 

“Yes mylord.” he answered and bowed.

 

“Please have seat,” Lord Wylis smiled and gestured towards the chairs gathering around a table by the window. A fire crackled lively in the big hearth “I hear you're doing a magnificent job with our new recruits.”

 

“Most kind, mylord.” Jon decided to let Wylis take lead of the conversation.

 

“You are not from White Harbour, are you?” it was a polite question but Jon did not miss the flash in Manderlys blue eyes.

 

“No mylord,” he answered and tried to sound untouched by the question but he began to understand were the conversation was heading “My wife and I came down from Queenscrown.” he carried on without hesitation.

 

Manderly nodded thoughtfully “It's a long way from the Gift. What made you leave?”

 

“More and more Wildlings are coming over the Wall, the Night's Watch isn't as reliable as it used to be.” not even a lie, he bitterly remarked to himself.

 

“Indeed, word spreads about that. They keep sending me ravens with pleas for men but the north has its own wars to win. Still, I wonder where a bastard from the Gift would become such an excellent swordsman.”

 

Jon looked straight at him “All the boys were taught how to fight mylord, the Gift is not as safe as it may have once been, one needs to know how to defend themselves.”

 

The Lord nodded again and put his elbows on the armrests of the chair before clasping his hands in front of him. He held Jons gaze “I don't believe you.”

 

“Mylord?” he exclaimed with genuine suprise.

 

“Spare me.” Manderlys voice was still kind but had gained an edge which hadn't been there before “One of my men saw a Direwolf sigil on your leathers.”

 

He looked at Jon expectantly but the latter was not ready to give in yet “House Manderly are Stark bannermen if I'm not mistaken, mylord. I can't see why a Direwolf sigil would be a problem.”

 

His tone must have been a little bit too much in defence of himself because Lord Manderly was quick to answer “Luckily you are a better swordsman than a liar. I have not summoned you here to question you because I consider you a threat or any of that ilk. I wanted to find out who you are because if you are the man I think you are...” he didn't finish his phrase and let the last words hang in between them.

 

“And who would that be mylord?” Jon opened and closed his sword hand.

 

“The way you speak, the way you fight, the Direwolf. You certainly are not Jon Snow from Queenscrown but of Winterfell. Ned Starks bastard son.”

 

“I do apologise mylord,” Jon said as calm as he could muster and rose from the chair “but you have the wrong man. If you would like to excuse me now mylord, I have duties to attend.”

 

To his suprise Manderly remained seated as he turned to walk towards the door. When he was about to open it though the Lord spoke up “What if I were to tell you that Robb Stark is right here, in this castle? Would you still be the wrong man?”

 

Jon turned around sharply “Mylord?”

 

“I ask you one last time.” Lord Wylis said in a measured tone “Are you Robb Starks bastard brother?Are you loyal to him?”

 

“I am, mylord.” he answered without much thinking.

 

A satisfied smile spread over Manderlys face “Very well.” he rose then as well “I shall then take you to your brother now.”

 

Jon followed him through the door with his heart beating hard beneath his ribs.

 

“One of my bannermen found him by the river, closer to death than life, and took him to White Harbour. I had my best Maester take care of him and by the seven, it truly is close to a miracle that he survived.” he explained while walking.

 

“What made you think I am his half brother? Surely it was not the direwolf.”

 

“No,” Manderly answered and shook his head “The Direwolf was merely the final piece of the puzzle. I sparred with your brother many years ago when I vistited Winterfell with my father, I haven't forgotten him and neither have I forgotten you. The Boltons are a plague inflicted on the North by treason and murder, my brother gave his life at the Red Wedding, as they call it now.”

 

“If you already knew who I am you probably know where I should be.” Jon put it as vaguely as possible in case Lord Wylis in fact didn't.

 

“I do indeed, but as I have not received word of a deserter yet I have no reason to think that you are one. Why you are here is not of much importance, just that you stay for now. The North needs a Stark.”

 

So there are still people loyal to the Starks, Jon thought to himself after Lord Wylis had finished and came to a halt by a door “He's in there. But I must warn you, he may not be the brother you remember.”

 

He didn't retort anything but steeled himself for what was about to come and knocked on the door.

 

“Enter.”

 

He then pushed the door and what he found inside the room made him freeze in place.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dun Dun Duuuun! 
> 
> Let me know what you think my freaky darlings!


	8. Part 1

Robb sat on the bed and looked at at him. The man Jon remembered as his brother had been tall, taller than him and broader in built as well. Now, there was barely anything left of that built. The man sitting on the bed was gaunt with skin as grey as ash and thinning hair. Nothing was left of the bright liveliness that Robb Stark had once been, war had left behind what seemed a shell of a man.

The once so very bright blue eyes looked sunken and dull but widened upon recognising the visitor.

 

“No...” Robb breathed and Jons heart clenched hard as he watched his brother struggle to get up from his sitting position and heavily lean on a crutch once he had made it “What are you doin here?” he asked in a wheezing voice.

 

“What are you doing here?” Jon spoke the first thing which crossed his mind

 

“I don't know,” Robb retorted with an air heavy of defeat “I should be dead, Jon.”

 

“By the gods, what did they do to you?” he muttered and supported his brother trembling frame to sit back down before he pulled up one of the chairs to sit down across from him.

 

“They tried their best to kill me.” Robb answered shakily “my own bannermen turned against me.”

 

“Why?” Jon inquiered harsher than he had intended to.

 

“Bolton. I was supposed to marry one of they Frey girls but...” he had to pause and when Jon saw his brother struggle he wanted nothing else than to gut every single Bolton personally “I was wounded in battle and fell in love with Lord Westerlings daughter. We got married and I convinced Edmure Tully to marry one of the Freys, but Lord Walder wouldn't have it. Bolton betrayed me and they had help from the Lannisters. They slaughtered everybody at that wedding, all the Lords, my mother and Jeyne who was...she was pregnant, Jon. ” Robb finished and hastily wiped a tear from his cheek “Long before that I sent Theon to negociate with his father and all he did was seize his chance and siege Winterfell with no more than a handful men form the Iron Islands. They put it to the torch but from what I gathered the Boltons took Winterfell and hold Theon as their prisoner.” Robb snifled and shook his head as if he could not believe how so many things could go wrong “What about you, shouldn't you be all in black?”

 

“I should.” Jon smiled bitterly and nodded, although glad for a chance of topic he wasn't very keen on telling Robb about his own aberrations “But death released me of my vows.”

 

“What do you mean?” Robbs voice trembled and he watched his face intentely.

 

Jon then told him about the journey north of the wall with Quorin Halfhand and how it had gone wrong so terribly. His brothers eyes widened upon hearing about the Wildling camp, the wargs and giants and the King beyond the Wall.

 

“Its all true...all the storys.” wonder crossed his features.

 

“They are.”

 

“Old Nan used to tell us about giants and White Walkers, remember?” the tinyest spark of smile appeared on Robss features and for a moment he almost looked like himself again “We were told they're all made up.”

 

For a brief moment Jon considered telling him about the Wights as well but he felt that this part of the story could wait. Not all the gruesome details had to be revealed in one sitting.

He carried on then, although a little hesitant about how things with Ygritte had unfolded and how he had knowingly betrayed his vows with her. What Robb thought about it he did not know but his face showed no reaction, but upon hearing of the fight by the windmill and Ygrittes deeds his features hardened.

 

“She shot you because you betrayed her?”

 

“Yes.” Jon answered and absently rubbed his shoulder “I made it back to Castle Black somehow but there was nothing they could do. I woke up on a pyre, they had tried to burn my body but...” he trailed of and shrugged.

 

“What do you mean, they tried?” Robb inquired.

 

“I'm here, ain't I? So it didn't work apparently.” he returned a question with a humourless laugh.

 

Robb seemed deep in thought for a moment “Only a dragon cannot be harmed by fire.” he said after a beat of silence.

 

Jon then held out his burned sword hand “Nothing makes sense anymore, Robb.”

 


	9. Part 2

“I agree, but what can we do about it?” Robbs smile was clouded with worry “Anyway, what brought you here?”

 

“I...we wanted to get on a ship.” Jon answered and he knew that he had to explain who he was with and judging by Robbs reaction to Ygrittes deeds earlier it wasn't going to be simple.

 

“We?”

 

“Yes,” Jon hesitated for a brief moment“Ygritte and I. After I had left Castle Black I tracked down the Wildlings and we decided to go south together.”

 

Robb furrowed his brow “To where? And correct me if I'm wrong but isn't she responsible for your death? And she is here, with you? Why?”

 

“Because I love her.” Jon answered fiercely.

 

“Do you think that's enough? Love cost me everything and now look at me, day in day out I wonder if death wouldn't have been kinder.”

 

“Don't say that, brother.” he suddenly felt taken aback by his brothers harsh words.

 

“Why not?” Robbs mouth twisted in bitterness “War left me a cripple, hiding in a tower from my own bannermen.”

 

A sudden rush of guilt hit him like a cold shower “You still have people who are loyal to you.”

 

“The King who lost the North, that's what they whispered behind my back. Be honest with me, Jon, you always were.”

 

Jon scratched his beard “You lost the North, I can't deny that.” Robb stared at him as he'd been struck by lighting so Jon was quick to carry on “But who says it can't be retaken?”

 

“How?”

 

“Manderly seeks revenge for his sons death, as many other great houses of the North probably do. Theres nothing they can do about the Lannisters or Freys, but Bolton is well within our reach. He commited treason not only against you but the whole North, do you think they will follow him as Warden?”

 

“They won't follow me either, I've lost their trust. They are far too comfortable at in their castles to march upon Bolton.”

 

“If the Manderlys call, they will answer. But we need a council first.”

 

“Make all necessary arrangements with Manderly and we will talk things through. I'm with you brother.” Robb agreed and put a hand on Jons shoulder “Whichever twist of fate brought you here I'm glad to that you are and that you're well. We Starks are hard to kill.”

 

They hugged each other close but Jon hadn't missed what his brother had said. _We_ S _tarks..._

From what he knew there was close to nothing left of the Starks and upon feeling his brothers frail frame it seemed even less than that.

 

“The Boltons are going to get what they deserve.” he said after they had broken apart “I just have to talk to Ygritte first.”

 

“Don't let me keep you from your wife then.” Robb squeezed his shoulder once again before dropping his hand “I'll see you at the council.”

 

Jon nodded and rose from the chair but he had barely left the room when Lord Wylis approached him “How did it go?”

 

Jon cast a quick glance around before he spoke “We need a council first, you me and Robb. But generally speaking we're with you.”

 

“That's good to hear. We shall meet back here tomorrow at the first bell after sunset and then we will see.” Jon nodded and was about to take his leave when Manderly spoke again “You and your wife are going to have to stay in the servants quarters for now, I don't want to raise any suspicions yet.”

 

“I didn't expect anything else mylord, but I will inform her.”

 

“Is she trustworthy?” Manderly inquiered.

 

“She is my woman, Lord Manderly, if you trust me you will trust her.” Jon did not care if he had just raised his voice at a Lord for this day had worn him out too much already and there was a more pressing conversation to be had.

 

 

 

 


	10. Chapter 10

 

 

“You're late.” Ygritte remarked from her place by the hearth as he entered the cottage and latched the door behind him “Everything alright?” she asked but Jon wordlessly crossed the small room and came to a halt in front of her.

 

“What I tell you now can never leave this house.”

 

“It won't” she answered and mustered his drawn expression with concern “what happened?”

 

“My brother Robb he...he's alive Ygritte.”

 

For a short moment she didn't seem to undestand but then her eyes widened suddenly “But how?”

 

“I don't know,”he shrugged and his eyes darted around “Manderly said someone pulled him from the river and brought him here.” he brushed a weary hand over his face and through his hair.

 

“Is he alright?”

 

“He is half-way alright but he is...different. Bitter. Nothing like I remember him.” Ygritte sat down on one of the chairs by the hearth and he did the same. Patiently she waited for him to carry on which he eventually did, although rather hesitant “The last time I saw him, I was in the courtyard at Winterfell. He said, "Next time I see you, you'll be all in black". I was jealous of Robb my whole life. The way my father looked at him, I wanted that. He was better than me at everything. Fighting, and hunting, and riding, and girls. Gods, the girls loved him. I wanted to hate him, but I never could” * Jon stared into the flames with hollow eyes “And now he is here, crippled from the wounds inflicted by his own bannermen.” he wrung his hands together and Ygritte knew he was fighting to remain his composure “I failed him.”

 

“You can't turn back time, no matter how much you wish for it.” Ygritte stilled his hands with hers “What has happened, has happened.”

 

“That's true, but now I get the chance to make it up to him,” his thumb lightly brushed over hers “Lord Manderly wants to march upon Bolton and help Robb reclaim what is rightfully his. Tomorrow we will have a council about this.”

 

“Going to war for your brothers sake won't make anything become undone.” she put a hand on his cheek to make him look into her eyes “and what about us?”

 

_Love is the death of duty..._ Maester Aemons words rang in his head and he pinched the bridge of his nose. In the morning he had known exactly what to do, they had a plan for the future and their only worry was waititing for a ship but now the weight of duty and responsibility had been placed upon his shoulders again. By leaving Winterfell many moons ago he had let Robb down and although Ygritte was more important to him than anyone else a life with her stood in conflict with the loyalty towards his brother. Whichever decision Jon would make he would hurt someone he loved and the thought killed him “I don't know.” he admitted with a wavering voice “They will go to war, with or without me but if they fail I would never forgive myself, just as I would never forgive myself if I left you. There's no answer, Ygritte.”

 

“There is, and it's a simple one.” She looked into his eyes, shining with unshead tears “We will do this together. I will be with you at those councils and we will make decisions together. I hate the thought of a war but I see that you have to do this, I'll be with you for the sake of the life we'll have when this is over.”

 

The second she had finsihed Jon kissed her so with such fierce she had to hold onto his shoulders and they broke apart both breathing heavily “Together.”

 

“Starting with tomorrow.”

 

“You can't, not tomorrow,” he said reluctantly and shook his head “the Lord doesn't want to raise any attention before anything is decided and I think that very wise.”

 

“And I can't go because you think wise what the Lord says?” she inquired harshly and pursed her lips.

 

“No. People like to gossip and if the wrong information reaches the wrong people everything could be blown apart. We'll have to keep a low profile until things are more official.”

 

“I don't like it.”

 

“Trust me, neither do I.” he agreed softly and brushed back a stray of her hair “I admire you,you're fierce and beautiful,” adoration mirrored in his gaze and Ygritte faintly leaned into the touch “and so much stronger than I'll ever be.”

 

“Someone has to be,aye?” she smiled half-heartedly and Jon leaned his forehead against hers.

Just like that, the weight of the world seemed to lessen a little. Her smile soothed the worries gnawing at his mind but couldn't chase them away completely. At the Wall there had been no comfort in the shivering cold nights of doubt and anger, just the harsh reality of a duty to fullfill.

 

“Yes,” he smiled softly but a sudden restlessness stirred inside him and he got up “if you don't mind I'll be at the Godswood.”

 

“I will mind if you won't let me join you.” Ygritte retortet and rose from her seat as well

He said nothing else, only nodded and passed her the brown cloak. The castle had fallen quiet and the moon shone bright upon them as they made their way across the courtyard and through the gate to the Godswood.

They came to a halt by the Heart Tree and Jon looked at the face staring back at him with unseeing eyes.

 

“What are you going to do?” Ygritte asked a after a while.

 

“Pray.”

 

Ygritte did not like the thought of gods controlling her fate, she had the reigns firmly in her own hands but she retreated a few steps back to give him some privacy.

Jons hand slowly came up to rest against the white bark of the weirwood, it was rough against his palm and wind rustled the leaves above him when he let his eyes drift shut.

He had never been a particularly believing man but the north was in his blood, rooted deep inside his identity and so were its gods. His mind was a cacophony of emotions and confusion, everything had been turned upside down but he couldn't afford confusion, not when Ygritte and Robb where relying on him. He couldn't allow himself to be weak in front of them, but here, where it was only the face of the Weirwood watching him he let go for a brief moment. A tear spilled, then another and relief washed over him like a warm bath.

_Why all this?_

A sudden breeze caused the leafs of the tree to rustle louder than before, almost aggressively and without warning a sharp pain shot through his head.

 

_ The north must rise again! _

 

The voice in his mind died away as sudden as it had rose and Jon found himself on his knees before the Weirwood, Ygrittes hand on his cheek and concern prominent on her features “Are you alright?”

 

He could only nod, still too flustered by what had just happened “It was a long day.”

 

“Let's go back, can't afford you falling ill now.” she offered him a hand and when they left the Godswood Jon felt an inexplicable rush of relief.

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aZHvd0ks7Es
> 
> Me after finishing the chapter :D
> 
> * I reckon you all know where this quote is from


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for all the feedback up to now! <3

Jons steps were heavy when he climbed the stairs of the tower in which Robbs chambers were. It had been a restless night and the days work did not help the matter either.  
Holding the council in said tower was a reasonable decision, nobody took notice of Lord Wylis and Jon slipping inside, seemingly just following their duties and additional to that it spared Robb the effort of climbing a lot of stairs.  
Lord Wylis and Robb already waited for him at the top of the staircase and together they went to a chamber across from the one that served as Robbs bedchamber. This one was slightly bigger with a window overlooking the smithy and stables and Jon could clearly make out Ygritte walking towards their cottage.  
The air in the room was heavy and he would have given anything to have her by his side now. 

“Is you father inducted to what we're talking about?” was the first thing Jon asked after they had sat down around the table in the centre of the room. 

“He is but it is less suspicious if I take my time talking to the new hand of our master at arms, after all we cannot be sure who is watching us. Right now we should not take any unessecary risks,” the Lord explained “the cost of a spy of the enemy discovering our plan would be too high.”

“Strictly speaking we're commiting treason.” Jon said but Manderly waved him off. 

“Treason against a traitor. And what is his claim if there is a Stark? But speaking of, I would very much appreciate it if you would not inform your wife of what we discuss today.”

“Why?”

“Because she is a Wildling, she is not to be trusted.” Manderly answered plainly. 

“How could you?” Jon hissed towards Robb who gave him a cold look. 

“It was my duty,” he answered harshly “She already turned against you once, who says she won't do it again and betray us? We know how the Wildings are!”

“You know nothing.” Jon said darkly and shook his head “She wouldn't know Bolton or any of the other Lords if you put them right in front of her!”

“Seven Hells Jon, she murdered you!” 

“Believe me brother I will never forget what it was like to choke on my own blood.” the words were spoken so coldly Robb had to keep himself from cringing “If anyone in this room has a reason not to trust Ygritte it is me, but I have forgiven her.”

“Love is the death of duty, isn't that what they say?” Manderly asked smoothly. 

“If you have anything to say, mylord,” he put almost mocking emphasis on the title “Speak openly. As I have said before, if you trust me you will have to trust her as well.”

“Have your way with your Wildling then, we have a real enemy to focus on don't you think?” Robbs voice was calm and collected but Jon could almost see what was still bubbling beneath the surface. 

“Indeed.” Lord Wylis agreed “As I said, we can't afford anyone to catch wind of our plan.”

Jon tried to swallow his anger for now and nodded in agreement “If Bolton receives word of our plan we're done, vut anyway the Lords will learn it soon enough when you call the banners mylord.”

“Banners which are not mine,” he raised his hand to emphasise his words“Never before has a Manderly called upon the great houses and I say it is about time.”

“Do you think it's going to be worth it?” Robbs eyes wandered between Lord Wylis and his brother.

“We're taking a considerable risk in letting them know you're alive, that's for sure.” Jon said thoughtfully “Of course we'll have to find out whom we can trust first.”

“Well, we don't have to let them know straight away, do we? First of all, I summonded them here to discuss if we have enough supplies for the upcoming winter and secure the trade within the north. Once they have come together, my father and I will call them to march upon Bolton. The ones who follow us will follow you as well.”

“How do we know if they won't betray us?” Robb was still doubtful.

“We won't.” Lord Wylis answered squarely “But they all seek revenge, just as my father and I do. My brother is dead beacause of Roose Bolton, he betrayed us because he was personally offended that you, ” he nodded towards Robb “didn't follow his advice. He should get what he deserves.”

“Speaking of,” Robb began and his face turned to stone “what shall we do in matters of Winterfell?”

“If the other lords march upon Bolton with you they surely will help you with Winterfell as well.” Lord Manderly sounded convinced but Jon shook his head, 

“They have a reason to march upon the Dreadfort, but why should they waste resources on helping us reclaim Winterfell?”

The question hung in the room unanswered for a moment when Robb spoke up suddenly “All we have to do is find Theon and,”

“Hang him.”

“No.” he looked at Jon sharply “We'll let Balon Greyjoy have his son back if he joins forces with us to reclaim Winterfell.”

Jon was quick to agree and although hesitant at first Lord Manderly agreed as well. The Lord retired after they had decided that ravens were to be sent the next day to all northern houses except the Boltons of course. Manderly had barely left the chamber and Robb was about to leave as well when Jon adressed him again.

“Robb, wait.” 

His brother turned around to meet his eyes “What is it?”

“Why did you tell Manderly about Ygritte?” Jon asked in a measured tone although he felt the urge to shout at his brothers face.

“I told you, it was my duty.” Robbs features had turned to stone, a well practiced mask of stoic authority.

“Don't make excuses,” his brothers attempt to put him off only added to his anger “I trusted you with this.”

“And I used to trust your judgement! Have you forgotten the Wildings who attacked Bran in the woods? How can you trust one of the like?”

“Who are you to judge her? I lived amongst the Free Folk for many moons and they are just as good and loyal as any Northmen.”

“Can you even yourself? Defending the enemy!” Robb spat and threw up his hands in anger.

“No,” Jon answered gloomily “you don't know who the enemy is.”

With these words he walked out of the door and left Robb in the empty chamber.


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh my god, I made it :D  
> Sorry that it took me so long to update but life kept me busy, hope you like it :)

“Manderly will send ravens to all the great houses of the north. He will call the banners to march upon Bolton.” Jon stood with his back towards her and shed his leathers while talking when Ygritte came up next to him and genlty stilled his movements.

 

“If you go to war Jon Snow, I'll be coming with you.” she said in a serious voice and caught his eyes.

 

“Ygritte ...”

 

“No,” she interrupted him firmly and held up her hand “Don't you try telling what to do.”

 

“I am not,” Jon retorted softly and closed his hand around hers before lowering them “I don't want you to get hurt that's all.”

 

“When will you learn? I will be at your side in battle, wether you like it or not, and so will I be at the council. Let all them Lords know that you have a woman who has a voice of her own.” her back straight as an arrow she stood before him and let go of his hand.

 

It was a brutally heartfelt statement but Jons smile was bittersweet “I admire you, Ygritte, more than anything but we are taking a huge risk, people will die. You still have a choice....”

 

The words had barely left his mouth when Ygritte slapped him hard across the face “Don't you dare say anything like that again.” she grit out angrily.

 

After overcoming the initial moment of suprise he closed the space between them and sealed their lips together, a gesture more than just a kiss, a silent promise of love and loyalty beneath the shadow of upcoming war.

Only the crackling sounds of the fire filled the room and they slowly broke apart, his hands still in her thick, soft hair and on the small of her back. Even now that they had spent many moons together her beauty still astounded him as much as her personality but upon remembering the conversation with Robb earlier a shadow fell over his face.

 

“Robb and Lord Manderly doubt your loyalty.” Jon said with a qiet sigh. There were a hundred things he would have rather said in this moment full of love but he couldn't keep it from her either.

 

“What?” she took a step back and drew her brow together “I hope you talked some sense into them.”

 

“I tried,” he answered apoligetically “but the people here think that the Wildlings are the enemy.”

 

“Well then they're even more daft than I thought.” Ygritte retorted with a disapproving snort “The day their great wall falls they'll learn who the enemy is.”

 

Jon didn't say anything in return but deep inside he prayed that neither of them would have to see that day.

 

A heavy knock on the front dor interrupted the conversation and they quickly exachanged a look. Who should be outside their door at this hour?

Jon then approached the door while Ygritte stood by the cupboard in which her bow and Longclaw were safely hidden. She couldn't make out who was outside their door and when murmured words were exchanged and Jon stepped aside she relaxed a little but remained standing by the cupboard.

She kept a close eye on the hooded figure who made his way inside the room with heavy steps while Jon was quick to close the door behind them.

 

“Show yourself.” she was quick to speak, even before the door was latched again. Upon her words the brown hood was pushed back and revealed a pale face with drawn brows over blue eyes, framed by a thin beard and unruly red curls “Who are you?” Ygritte continued harshly but then Jon came to stand beside her and put a calming hand on the small of her back.

 

“I'm Robb Stark,” he introduced himself quietly “Jons brother.”

 

“So you are the one who won't trust a 'Wildling.” she mockingly imitated his voice “Aye?”

 

Upon meeting Ygrittes refusal Robb cast a glance towards his brother before speaking hesitantly “Yes.” she nodded with her lips pursed but Robb spoke again before she could “But I feel like I might have to reconsider that.”

 

“Yes.” although he had almost apologised to her Ygritte wasn't ready to let it go that easily. Accusing her of iloyalty was not one of the things she took lightly “And spare me your fancy words, for the Free Folk deeds speak louder than words.”

 

“Did you come all the way down here for saying that?” although Jon saw his brother efforts he was still a little distant towards him.

 

“It's not only that,” Jon could see the muscles in his jaw working and for a brief moment it felt like when they were boys , in for a scolding and Robb was forced to overcome his pride “I came to apologise. I shouldn't have doubted you, brother.”

 

Jons expression remained stoic but gestured towards the two chairs by the hearth for Robb and Ygritte to sit down before pulling in the stool which stood by the bed for himself.

 

“If someone had told me what I told you I would have doubted as well.” he broke the upcoming awkward silence.

 

“It's not only that,” Robb retorted with a shake of his head “So much has happened, upon seeing you again I started thinking, during the weeks after the wedding I trusted no one and even now,” he shook his head briefly as if to get a thought out of his head “Theon betrayed me just like my bannermen did but not you. I won't let my the past get between us, especially not now.”

 

Ygritte watched the watched them and saw the unquestiong love only siblings could have for each other and she knew that it was good, it was what they both needed.

 

“We have no easy task ahead of us.” Jon added in a solemn voice“There will be battles to fight.”

 

“About that,” a shadow of pain crossed Robbs featured and he hesitated “I will be no use when it comes to that, I can't even hold a swor no matter how much I wish for it.” It was obvious how much effort it cost him to admit his weakness before them “I'm sorry.”

 

“You have fought your battles, Robb.”

 

“Aye,” Ygritte agreed “besides, when those southern maids see what a Spearwife does to their armies they won't last long.” Jon chuckled and her head whipped towards him she scolded jokingly “Got anything to say, crow?”

 

Robb watched their back and forth for a moment and for the first time since marching to war he felt a spark of joy inside of him “Is she your wife yet?” he asked.

 

“No.” Jon admitted.

 

“It's about time House Stark has something to celebrate, don't you think?”

 

 

 


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I thought I'd post this before work eats up all my time again :D  
> Cheerio!

Days passed, the sun rose and set as it always did and Robb found himself spending most of his time seated by his chambers window. It overlooked the courtyard and whilst the constant bustle of activity hadn't seemed interesting to him before he now found himself watching it even closer. The castle did not have a separated training yard like Winterfell had so the recruits sparred in the courtyard under the careful eye of Ser Oliver. Two green boys went at each other, the blows of their wooden swords still slow and clumsy as if they hadn't been in training for long. Ser Oliver said something and the two boys stopped, both panting and their attention on their Master at Arms before Jon came up next to them, then they both listened closely to him before they begun sparring once again.

Each and every day since learning of his brothers arrival at White Harbour Robb had watched them from the tower, the scenery below him so far away he couldn't make out what was being said but so familiar that he felt a tug at his heart each and every time. Memories of their own sparring sessions at Winterfell had started flooding his mind since, Ser Rodricks drawn brow, their father watching them every so often and Theons smug grin when hitting the bulls eye with his arrow. All this didn't lie too far behind him but it seemed a lifetime away. Back then he had been the future Lord of Winterfell, a green boy so proud and enthusiastic and full of dreams, surrounded by his family and with a castle that seemed to be his already. There never seemed to be clouds in the sky and reflecting back on it he longed for only a tiny little piece of the carelessness he's had felt back then.

It had started with Jon leaving for the Wall, his closest friend, partner in crime and brother, although his mother had always instisted that he was not. The day they had bid farewell in the courtyard at Winterfell he had kept the facade up but seeing one of the most important people in his life leave had torn him up inside. From that day on things only seemed to become worse, Theon had always been a loyal friend to him but he wasn't family and thus couldn't replace the brothers and sisters who had left him.

Calling the banners had been the action of two foolish boys, neither of them knew which consequences a war would have and after winning the first battles they had been so drunk from the bloodrush and war cries that there was no going back. Once, he had overheard Maester Luwin telling Jon about the Nights Watch and their oaths, _Love is the death of duty_ , years after that he had learned the true meaning of those words. Robb had loved Jeyne, truly he had but still, there had been a sense of duty in their marriage nonetheless. She had taken care of him after he had been wounded in battle, had sat with him while he had been feverish and he had cried in pain like a child. She was there when his vision had cleared for the first time in days and the overwhelming joy of being alive had lead to actions he would partially regret later. However, what is done is done and honor required him to take her as wife, there was no question in that and apart from that she had been a beautiful, kind and loving woman. Things could have been well, but Walder Frey would not have it.

Robb had no real memory of the wedding, it were mere glimpses and situations which would haunt his mind in the darkest of the night. The panicked cries of his mother whom he had loved dearly, even after she had freed the Kingslayer, Jeynes empty eyes and the bloody mess which had once been her womb carrying their unborn child. Everything from that moment was a blurry mess, as if a thick haze covered his mind and only the cold, agonising feeling of terror and pain lingered in the depth of his soul. The river and the journey to White Harbour he only knew from stories but he clearly remembered how he had screamed until his voice was gone and how weeks had passed with the only time stamp being the maester changing the bandages and how the stitches underneath them hurt a little less each time a pair of strong arms lifted him up to drag the soiled sheets from his sickbed. His mind recovered quicker than his body and soon the crippled shell which he had once called his body became a prison, dark thoughts had occupied his mind during these days, bitterness about Theons treason and doubt of each and every one of his decisions kept him awake and paced inside him like a caged animal. What exactly had lead Theon to commit treason against one of the only true friends he's ever had did not matter to Robb, the only thing occupying his ponderings was how he could have missed the signs, there must have been signs but he had been too blind in his trust to see them. Although there was no one left who looked upon him as a Lord but he was determined not to let his attitude slip. War might have broken his body but not his spirit. The Manderlys had been his saviour and he was deeply grateful for what they did for him but at the same time he wondered why they took the risk if there wasn't anything in for them.

His body recovered and the first time he looked upon the world, standing on his own two feet he felt dizzy from the sudden realisation that this was it, this was reality and there were no more memories to fall back on. Winterfell lay in ruins, he had nowhere left to go so he stayed in his chambers whch, althought he was rather comfortable there, became more of a prison with each passing day. The world seemed lost to him, there was nothing left to live for and he existed, day in day out because well, what choice did he have.

The day Jon stood in his doorway everything had changed but in a way stayed the same. He still found himself doubting things, mistrusting decisions and when his brother told him about Ygritte, his Wildling wife Robb hadn't been able to make himself believe that all this was truly happening. Pictures of the Wildings attacking Bran in the Wolfswood flared up in his mind and upon hearing Jons story he was even more confused. The world had stopped making sense since he had opened his eyes in White Harbour, and after everything that he had heard it was not getting any better. All the doubt and bitterness in his mind had almost mislead him not to trust Jon, one of the few people in his life had had always been able to trust and by the looks of things the last one he had left. 

The ravens Lord Manderly sent to the northern Lords had flown merely a week ago, but Robb felt himself grow more and more restless. A big task lay ahead of him and although he had seen enough of war there was nothing he would rather do than side with Jon in battle, but this would never happen. The crossbow bolts of his enemies had done too much damage, no matter how much he longed for it he would never hold a sword of notch an arrow again. He would merely be a by-stander when Jon and Ygritte would do his duty and it gnawed at his pride. They would hold councils and discuss stragedies but in the end it was them who rode off into battle and fight to retake Robbs castle but he had already come up with something to reward them.

 

 

 

 


	14. Chapter 14

“Are you sure this is going to work?”

 

“No.”

 

They all fell silent after that, Robb stared into the flames flickering in the small heath and Ygritte scooted a little closer towars Jon on the small bench they shared. The chamber they were in was small and lit dimly only by the light of the flames. The murmur of many voices seeped through the closed door.

The day had come.

Behind the door lay the great hall of White Harbour where currently all that was left of the Great Northern Houses held council. Robbs grip on the armrests of his chair tightened until his knuckled turned white, images of the great hall at the Twins ghosted through his head and mingled with fear. Harald Karstark would be in there, the only surviving son of Lord Rickard who had died by Robbs hand and whose brothers had died in the war he had started, and he was only one on a long list of Lords who had more than a reason to send him and meet the gods.

Jon sensed his brothers distress but he decided to keep his mouth shut before his words could fail him. He did not know what horrors Robb had to endure in the past or what thoughts he had to deal with now ut he knew what he had to do. Ygritte was his repsonsibility now, although she was more than capable of fending for herself he had made a promise to the gods that he would put her before anything else in this world, even his own life and he felt that now the time had come to keep that promise.

All of them startled and looked towards the door when it slowly creeped open and revealed Wylis Manderlys face.

 

“It is time.” he announced in a hushed voice as not to interrupt the silence which had fallen over the great hall. Robb and Jon exchanged a look and a curt nod before they all rose and Lord Wylis stepped aside. Ygrittes hand found Jons while Robb made his way towards the door and they tightly interlaced their fingers.

 

The hall was bathed in the glow of countless torches lining the wall and each and every single face seated along the long table in the centre of the room was turned towards them when the heavy doors swung open and Robb entered it, Lord Wylis at his side, Jon and Ygritte behind them.

For a heartbeat there was nothing but silence, Robb looked into the faces of his former bannermen, recognising each and every one of , even little Lyanna Mormont, and guilt stabbed his heart like a dagger.

The silence ended abruptly when Harald Karstark rose from his chair and hit the table with his palm.

 

“Murderer!” he shouted, his voice ringing off the walls and suddenly the table erupted with sound, a cacophony of voices filling the air and Robb grip on his walking stick wavered. Ygrittes grip on Jons hand tightened and they looked at each other, half expecting a sword to be drawn soon. Lord Wylis didn't move, only nodded towards his father who rose from his seat at the head of the table and he knocked on the table a couple of times to get at least some attention.

 

“Mylords.” he called loudly and the murmuring began to quiet down “There are matters that need to be discussed.”

 

“Aye,” Cley Cerwin spoke up “Like who made the dead rise.”

 

“Matters of the future, not the past.” Lord Wyman carried on in a measured voice.

 

“The past must have its justice.” Lord Karstark uttered through grit teeth still loud enough for everyone to hear “By word or sword.”

 

The very moment he had finished speaking Jon appeared next to his brother, his hand on the hilt of Longclaw and then there was Ygritte as well, bow and arrow in hand, staring at him with narrowed eyes.

 

“Well well, what have we got there, a bastard and a girl.” he mocked cruelly and bared his teeth.

 

“You have eaten my bread and salt.” Manderly interrupted them “Best keep your temper at bay.”

 

Unnoticed among the insults being thrown and discussions errupting Howland Reed sat at Lord Manderlys right, quietly watching the three newcomers and wondering. It had been a long time since he had last seen Robb Stark and Jon Snow, the lordling and the bastard, the brother separated by blood. There was a secret which he had carried for too long and he deemed the time had come to reveal it.

 

“Bear Island knows no king but the King in the North, whose name is Stark.”

 

The voice of Lyanna Mormont interrupted the constant blur of voices in the hall, clear were the words and spoken with such determination that even the loudest voices of complaint died down for a moment.

Robb hadn't moved from his spot since he had entered the hall and hadn't uttered a single word. The Lords had spat insults at him which sunk into his heart like needles and he had nothing to say in return. There were no excuses he could offer, no revenge he could give them but endure, back hunched and his lips set in a tight line. Jon and Ygritte were at his side, both tall and proud they stood against the waves of rejection and anger flooding the room. Strong in unity they endured.

The North endures.

 

Robb looked at the faces of the Lords and he saw no traitors, no muteneers. He saw men whose family had been taken away from them, who lived in poverty with barely enough supplies for the winter, men and women who suffered a fate his war had inflicted on them. There was no way they would ever follow him again.

He took a deep breath, now there was only one right decision.

 

“Jon, kneel.” he commanded in a strong voice and all faces turned towards him.

 

“What?” Jon asked, momentarily too baffled for more words.

 

A murmur went through the hall.

 

“Do as I say brother.” Robbs voice didn't leave room for any arguments so Jon looked at Ygritte before turning back towards his brother and hesitantly dropped to one knee.

The room was as silent as a tomb as Robb spoke the words “As witnessed by Lord Wyman Manderly of White Harbour and his son, Lord Wylis, and all Lords present in this room, Jon Snow shall be called Jon Stark from this day forth until his last. Furthemore I, Robb Stark, hereby decree that he now shall lead the North in my stead.” as the words left his mouth Jon raised his gaze and looked at his brother disbelievingly “Rise now, Jon Stark, first of his name, Lord of Winterfell and Warden of the North.”

 

Jon stood up wordlessly and his brothers gaze was fixed onto him as he continued “Here is your leader, now follow him.”

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> Feedback is always welcome  
> Love ya bye -xx


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